Bright smiles and gorgeous red sweaters welcomed me into the home of the Khouri family, including Hanan, her husband, Hanna, and her daughters, Christina and Grace.
They led me to the living room — the reason for my visit — and I froze in awe, speechless.
A breathtaking nativity scene, stretching from wall to wall, filled the room with elaborate detail and grandeur — but most of all, I saw the heart of the family and a radiance of pride and beatitude emanating from Hanan.
The 27-year Troy resident beamed with the opportunity to share her annual undertaking, but also with the honor she feels to share what it inherently represents to her and her family.
“As a Christian immigrant from Syria, I want to carry on our traditions and culture to my children, as well as other children in the Arabic community,” Hanan says. “I’m very grateful that my children have grown up in Metro Detroit, especially in Troy where it’s culturally diverse — they’ve been exposed to a variety of traditions and identities. There are many people living here without extended family, and it’s a blessing to be able to teach our culture through music, art and language.”
The traditional nativity scene, called Mghara in Arabic, is a cave-like manger housing Jesus, Mary and Joseph, along with shepherds, wise men, angels and animals. Hanan’s family has passed down the faith and tradition through generations, and it is considered a blessing to continue it in her own home. Taking about two weeks to assemble 125 houses, 363 trees and 379 figurines, every detail is crafted from scratch — beginning with painting the paper of the caves and sewing it together.
The hard work is rewarded with the joy seen in the eyes of those who visit, especially her students. “I teach Arabic out of my home, so this not only provides joy,” she says, “but becomes a very effective teaching tool.”
Hanan also uses music as a technique for teaching the culture’s traditions, as co-director of Sound of Joy, the Arabic-English children’s choir. “It was started here with kids singing around the mghara,” she says, adding that it’s become a great success during the Christmas season (see “Details” for more).
How does her family feel about the display overtaking their home? “My daughters, Christina, Grace and Marianne, along with my husband, Hanna, support my creativity,” Hanan says. “It fills our home with light and joy, which we can then share with others. I hope that when people see it, they feel the same warmth and light that we do.”
Mission accomplished.
DETAILS
Sound of Joy, the Arabic-English children’s choir, will perform their third-annual concert with the National Arabic Orchestra at “East Meets West: Christmas in the Holy Land,” at Detroit’s Music Hall, Dec. 6. Musichall.org; ticketmaster.com.